Cavs: Team clears air in closed-door meeting after Pistons loss

Cleveland Cavaliers' Kyrie Irving (2) shoots to the basket against Oklahoma City Thunder's Kendrick Perkins (5) and Serge Ibaka (9), from the Republic of Congo, during the fourth quarter of an NBA basketball game on Saturday, Feb. 2, 2013, in Cleveland. The Cavaliers won 115-110. (AP Photo/Tony Dejak)

The Cavaliers coaches -- and evidently their players, as well -- had seen enough.

After their embarrassing loss to the Pistons on Friday, they held a closed-door meeting in the visitor's locker room at The Palace of Auburn Hills.

It was another in a long line of games in which they've played down to the competition. They cleared the air after the 18-point loss to the Pistons. Afterward, star guard Kyrie Irving said he was "disinterested" for much of the second half. Of course, his play spoke loud and clear with 14 points and five assists.

"I said my piece," Cavs coach Byron Scott said. "As a matter of fact, I let the coaches talk and (lead assistant Paul Pressey) was the only one who really said anything."

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No one is quite sure if the meeting lit a fire under the players or if it was just playing a team that played in the NBA Finals last season. Regardless, the Cavs recorded a 115-110 triumph for arguably their signature win of the season.

"I knew we'd compete with energy against OKC," Scott said. "No. 1, (they have one of the) best record(s) in the league. And I knew just from fear of being embarrassed, we were going to come out and compete. It's more mind-boggling to me Friday than Saturday."

Scott said he didn't hold back anything in that meeting. He said he didn't throw anything. The Pistons' visiting locker room is the size of a broom closet.

"No, I didn't have anything to break," Scott said. "I couldn't find anything. The locker room is way too small to be throwing stuff because I probably would've hit a player and hurt him, cut him or something like that. Our luck hasn't been that great as far as that goes, so I wouldn't dare do that."

The Pistons are 18-30, yet they toyed with the lackluster Cavs (14-34).

"I know we're better than that," Scott said. "I know that's a team in Detroit that plays hard and they're a physical basketball team. You scratch your head more on that game, (when we) lay an egg like that. That one is more mind-boggling than the way we came out against OKC."

They followed a season-long trend of winning almost only when Irving has a big night. He was fantastic on Saturday with 35 points, three rebounds and three assists.

"We couldn't really stop him," Thunder forward Kevin Durant told the Daily Oklahoman. "It was like he was playing one-on-one with our bigs."

"I think it's just part of the growth," he said. "I think we all still tend to forget at times, he is 20 years old. He's barely played a year in the NBA. He still has a lot of room to grow at both ends of the floor (and) he has a lot of room to grow as a person. But right now, he's definitely on the right track, there's no doubt about that. But the consistency we talk about doing it every night, some nights he's not going to make shots, but to come with that competitive attitude, that's the thing you're looking for every single night."

Scott said Irving has elevated his game to being among the top-three point guards in the NBA.

"I don't know if Russ (Westbrook) is ahead of him," he said. "(I'd) probably have to say (Rajon) Rondo because of what he's been able to accomplish. He leads the league in triple-doubles, leads the league in assists. Chris Paul because he changes the game. Those are the top two right now. To me he's probably right there at three."

The coach said Irving's defense will need to improve in order for him to be considered the best point guard in the league.

"That's the only thing that's going to separate him," Scott said. "Every person I talk to basketball-wise, they know how gifted he is offensively. But the one word that keeps coming out of their mouths is he has to get better on the defensive end and I think he knows that. That's what separates Chris Paul."

Scott said Paul, Rondo and even Derrick Rose before he got hurt are standout defenders.

"If you want to be the best point guard in this league, you've got to be able to do it at both ends of the floor," Scott said. "I think he understands that and I think he's willing to work at it."

He said players must be challenged to play better defense, and they must be willing to accept it.

Cavs swingman C.J. Miles said the Friday meeting was very clear.

"We've got to come out every day, every night, shootaround, practice, whether you're here by yourself, games, and we've got to be willing to get on the floor and leave it all out there," he said. "Energy should not be a problem for a team where the oldest guy is Luke (Walton), who doesn't play heavy minutes. The guys with heavy minutes, the oldest guy is 22 or 23 years old. (It) should never be a problem, especially starting the game.

"(Coach Scott) was upset, as he should be and as we should be. He laid it out there. He asked us, 'Do you guys believe that you're a (14-34 team)? The answer is no."